Married man from Carlisle abused wife after misinterpreting signals

Mark Davies, 42, from Carlisle, had previously sent text messages to the woman “urging” her to have an affair.

His behaviour then reached a new level when he touched her sexually. At the city’s Crown Court, the defendant was convicted after previously admitting to this single charge of sexual assault.

The defendant was alone with the woman in 2022 and approached her, grabbed her and kissed her on the lips, the court heard.

When she pulled away from him, he touched her bottom and said to her, “I’ll leave you alone if you give me a kiss.” The woman immediately left and returned home, where she told her mother what had happened.

The police were then called.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said what happened had caused changes in her life and that she now finds it difficult to go anywhere alone.

“She felt vulnerable,” the statement said.

She also felt panic at times. The woman also wanted justice to be done so that the accused would know that his behavior was unacceptable.

Defense attorney Christopher Dunn said: “He completely misjudged the situation.”

Judge Michael Fanning told the defendant, of Carwhinley Close, Carlisle, that he committed his offence after sending text messages to the woman “urging her to have an affair”.

The judge said: “On this particular occasion, you took it to the next level. But you misinterpreted every single signal that was sent to you. It did not encourage you.”

The judge acknowledged Davies’ remorse. The defendant, a former soldier who had committed a serious drug offence since 2009, had been classified as low risk.

Judge Fanning said: “This offence was highly unacceptable… but crucially it was not predatory behaviour but an isolated incident.”

A background report said the incident was a “heinous mistake” and uncharacteristic of the perpetrator.

No intervention was necessary in relation to the sexual offences, the judge added. He imposed a fine of £1,200 and a restraining order prohibiting any contact with the victim. The defendant was not placed on the sex offenders’ register.